Onlooker
by DeeCee1430
Summary: John is trying to let Iris into his life but something is holding him back. What happens when Iris realizes firsthand what or who that something is? One-shot AU. Careese.


Disclaimer: I do not own Person of Interest or its characters.

A/N: Hi everyone. This is a little one-shot. I've had writer's block, which is why Crisscrossing has not been updated. Hope you enjoy. Warning: this is Careese so if you are an Iris/John fan, read at your own risk. This is AU set sometime in this season.

John plopped tiredly into his desk chair at the Eighth precinct and surveyed the bullpen. A few young rookies milled around, looking much too energized to be coming off the graveyard shift. "You look like hell," Fusco stated as he took his seat across from John.

"Thanks, Lionel. You're looking great yourself." Pausing, John motioned towards Captain Moreno's closed office door. "Any idea what's going on in there?" It was unusual for the door to be closed along with the blinds. If John had learned anything about Moreno in his time as Detective Riley, it was that she wanted to be in the thick of things. Calling her a micromanager was putting it mildly.

"No clue. Door's been closed since I got here about an hour ago," Fusco responded nonplussed. He continued to absentmindedly scroll through his email. John stared at the Captain's door, a sense of concern rumbling in the pit of his stomach. He didn't know why, but he felt like something was off. Distractedly, he began to peruse the case file on his desk, tossing it aside in frustration when he read the same statement for the twelfth time. John grabbed the blue ceramic mug on his desk and gulped its contents, cringing when he realized it was cold, day old coffee.

When John heard the squeak of the Captain's door opening, he spun slightly in his wobbly desk chair and was surprised when Iris exited the office. Closing her black leather tote bag, she smoothed down an errant curl that had escaped her French twist before turning towards John's desk. She gave him a friendly smile and a half wave as she approached, slinging the tote bag over her shoulder.

"Detective Riley, it's nice to see you." Fusco coughed and rolled his eyes, muttering that he needed caffeine. He found whatever was going on between John and the Doc annoying. He snorted as he pushed back his chair and made a grand gesture of reaching across the desk to grab John's coffee mug as well as his own. Something about the shrink irked him and he didn't like whatever it was between her and John. He didn't like it one bit. If Captain America belonged with anyone it was a certain long gone spitfire detective. Fusco pushed that thought from his head and continued his journey to find coffee.

"Doc, what brings you to the precinct?" John asked keeping the conversation light for any passersby after scowling at Fusco. His relationship with Iris hadn't progressed since the kiss in her office. They had gotten coffee a couple of times and had a friendly lunch or two. He knew he had left her confused and if he was honest, he was confused himself. The kiss was nice and he liked Iris. She was a good person and he could talk to her. He hadn't felt like he could talk to anyone since . . . . He still couldn't bring himself to speak her name and he realized that she was the one holding him back from pursuing anything with Iris. He knew he should distance himself from Iris. He wasn't ready to truly let anyone into his heart. While he had told her a version of what happened with Jessica, he couldn't bring himself to tell her about the woman that still haunted his dreams and sometimes his waking hours.

Looking up, he met Iris's questioning gaze. She had obviously answered but he had missed it. "I'm sorry. What did you say?"

"You looked like you were a million miles away. Is everything ok?" she asked with concern in her eyes.

"I'm fine. I had a long stakeout so I'm running on very little sleep. What did you say brought you here?"

"I just had to sign off on a psych eval for a detective returning to duty," she responded.

"Oh, is that why Moreno is holed up in her office?" John asked nonchalantly. Before Iris could respond Moreno's door swung open for the second time. Moreno exited the office with a woman, her long dark hair covering her face. John glanced at the file on his desk until he heard a laugh. He would recognize that laugh anywhere. As he looked up, the woman pulled her hair away from her face, tucking it behind her ear. John froze, staring at a living and breathing Jocelyn Carter.

Tamping down the overwhelming emotions coursing through his body, John scanned the precinct and caught Fusco's eye. Fusco broke the gaze, staring at the floor. John immediately realized that Fusco knew all along. John couldn't fault him. If Lionel Fusco was anything, he was loyal and protective of his partner.

"John, are you ok?" Iris's voice broke through John's daze as he continued to track Joss's movements through the precinct. She hadn't spotted him. He tore his eyes away from her to respond to Iris.

"I'm fine. I need to get out of here." Without another word, John walked through the precinct to the back door exit.

* * *

Joss turned and smiled as she saw Fusco making his way through the well-wishers to stand in front of her. "It's good to see you, Partner," he said, jamming his hands in his pockets.

"You too, Fusco, although I hear you have a new partner," she said gesturing to her former desk. She chuckled softly as she noticed Lionel's police officer doll still pointed where she used to sit, meticulously combing through her files for any minute detail that could break a case. She sighed as the strain of the last months seemed to physically weigh her down.

Before responding, Fusco looked closely at the woman before him. He noticed a sadness in her eyes—one that hadn't been there before she left. He knew she was tired, physically and emotionally, but she was still Carter. He had a sneaking suspicion what might be the cause of her uneasiness. "That's a story for a different day," he responded. "You have a minute? There's something we need to talk about." Joss nodded and followed Fusco into one of the interrogation rooms.

* * *

As the sun set, Joss finally left the Eighth after her conversation with Fusco and some idle chitchat with colleagues. Being around people who recognized her was foreign after all of this time. Her heart fluttered as she thought about her destination. Before leaving, Fusco checked in with Finch. John was at the Queensboro Bridge, a place where their relationship had taken a turn. That night she had almost lost everything, but there was also a shift in her relationship with John as they stood side by side before Donnelly shattered the moment. Shaking her head, the memory floated away and she refocused on the present, determined to free herself from the past.

Fusco filled her in on the saga of Detective John Riley and she couldn't help but smile at the idea of John pretending to be a detective who had to follow the rules. Part of her was terrified to see him again. She was afraid he would be mad or wouldn't forgive her deception. She couldn't place her finger on when John had become such an integral part of her life, but at some point, he had found his way into her heart and the thought of hurting him shook her to her core.

She sighed as she approached, seeing him standing gazing at the black water, much as she had done when he was released from Rikers. For a few moments, she stood frozen as a light drizzle began to fall. Quietly, she approached and stood silently beside him before saying, "Waiting for someone?"

A soft smile graced his face, "Yeah, someone in particular." Slowly he turned to face her, his hand brushing her cheek before falling to his side.

* * *

Iris opened her umbrella as the rain became steady. She guessed that John might be at the Queensboro Bridge because he mentioned it was a place he went to think. She was concerned when he left the precinct so abruptly and he failed to answer any of her calls. For a few minutes she stood back, watching as he seemed lost in thought staring at the water. Even though she was a therapist, she felt as if she was in uncharted territory. If he didn't want to talk, she didn't want to force him, but she thought they had a connection. Taking a deep breath she steeled herself to make her approach, when she stopped short.

She noticed a woman approaching John in a blue trench coat, her long dark hair billowing in the wind coming off of the river. At first Iris assumed she was just another park visitor, but then she stopped next to John. She was so close their shoulders almost touched. When the two faced each other, Iris gasped. She recognized the woman as Detective Carter. Glued to the scene unfolding in front of her, she watched as John's hand reached out, cupping the detective's cheek. The rain became steady. She saw their lips moving but she couldn't hear their words. Iris tried to turn away, feeling as though she was intruding on an intimate moment, but she continued to stare. Suddenly, John reached for Joss Carter, pulling her close, his arms wrapped tightly, protectively around her. She melted into his embrace, her head tucked securely under his chin.

The two stood, not moving for what seemed like an eternity, unconcerned with the pelting rain. Finally, they pulled apart, and Joss held out her hand. Without hesitation, John interlaced their fingers and the two began to walk away. Before they left her sight, Iris saw a genuine smile on John's face that reached all the way to his eyes. Silently, Iris walked in the opposite direction, her eyes tearing up but not spilling over.


End file.
